This post made me tear up. My Grandfather fought in WWII and my younger brother has been in the Army National Guard since he graduated high school 8 years ago. Thank you SO much for honoring our service men and women, past and present. It means a lot to them, and to those of us who love them.

amazing post! both my grandfathers were in the army air corps in wwii as a supply runner and a mechanic. one of my great uncles was a bombardier and navigator for the air corps and my other great uncle was an army paratrooper. one of my best friends is currently in rotc to be a pilot and engineer for the air force.

on an aside, i was almost hoping for indy 500 sweets but..... i'm from indianapolis so maybe that's just me...... (or you could do 500 wrecks sometime this week heheh :D )

Best Sunday Sweets ever! Thanks for the salute to the men and women serving in our military, Jen. If anyone deserves cake it's them! Thanks for all those who put themselves in harm's way so the rest of us can live in peace.

Thank you for this tribute, Jen. As a Navy daughter and a Navy wife, I can't say thank you enough. Lest we forget, this weekend is not about the beach and burgers on the grill (although that is what my family will be doing!) Fly Navy!

Wow! Really amazing,incredible cakes! A very moving tribute by all the bakers. Thank you for honoring our troops on this Memorial Day. The boots brought a tear.(I lost my son in Iraq 4 years ago. He would have been 32 yesterday.)

These are some of the most stunning cakes I have ever seen!! There have been a lot of incredible wedding, birthday and other occasion cakes featured on Sunday Sweets but these have so much meaning behind them honoring not just the recipients, but all who have served. pasital

Teabunny, I had the same thought. I flinched when I saw a cake sitting on what looked like a real flag. I hope it was just a very skilled artist. If so, it's a high compliment that we even had this thought!

:( So sorry for your loss(I don't want to even imagine something so horrible)...but you must be SO proud that your son felt the way he did to DO what he did for this country.

I wouldn't be here today if not for my Mom & Dad being in the Navy at the same time (it's where they met); she was a WAVE & he was a Chief Petty Officer. They would get choked up during parades when they'd play the different service's songs (Navy's being "Anchors Away"). I currently have a cousin in the Middle East; he's 60-yrs. old and STILL flying helicopters~~~I don't know how he managed that, but he loves it.WONDERFUL post, guys.

My uncle is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines who has toured twice in Afghanistan and now goes regularly every 2 weeks, and this tribute just reminds me of how much of a hero he and so many other brave men and women truly are. Remember that it is not just on Memorial Day that we should acknowledge these fantastic people.

WOW!!! I liked the Black Sheep Custom Cakes because of the topper; truly awesome. Also am impressed with the helmet and the BOOTS. Those boots are realistic down to the stitching and laces and scuff marks. These people should be on those TV cake challenges!

Thanks so much for the tribute to our armed forces. My dad was in the Army Air Corps during WWII, my brother was in the Army. My mom and I spent each year for 20+ years watching the Memorial Day concert on tv. Today's page gives me a lump in my throat.

Thank you for todays Sunday Sweets. The true meaning of the holiday has been largely forgotten. I love your site - gives me a giggle whenever I check it out! I love it even more now seeing those awesome cakes! Thanks again!

I'm gonna be the nitpicker here, since no one else did it. Memorial Day is for soldiers killed in combat. This post would make more sense for Veterans Day (or even more for Armed Forces Day last week).

Though all of these cakes are beautifully done, I find the hat and the boots particularly affecting. There is something so deeply personal there about them.

I just wish we had some tribute cakes to the Patriot Guard Riders. While not all riders are military themselves, they provide an invaluable, important service; escorting those who served and died to their final resting place and providing much-needed support to the family of the fallen.

For those interested, here's the Ballad of the Patriot Guard.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMyMBBzsDgA

My thought too....especially since the cake seems to be for someone currently serving in our armed forces. I sincerely hope they weren't presented with a cake sitting on top of the actual flag they're defending. It would be a difficult situation for them.

I youtube'd each song/anthem/hymn and just let the tears roll as I read today's post. Raised by a West Point grad who proudly served in the brand-new Air Force and I am glad is still alive, I respect and thank each and every man and woman who gave their all. "With the thanks of a grateful nation", as they say at the funerals. Thank you, John and Jen, for the honor you show them.

Thank you for today's meaningful post, and for the reminder of the meaning behind the holiday. Like others have posted, this one brought a lump to my throat (my step-grandmother was a WREN, a great-uncle was killed during the Battle of the Bulge, and my father is a veteran and a civilian security & intelligence expert).

And thanks for the RCAF cake ;) Since you've used quotes, this is also appropriate for that particular cake since it's by John Magee who was one of the Americans who enlisted with the Canadian forces to fight in WWII, before the US got involved:

"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of EarthAnd danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings/Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

And I wanted to offer my condolences to Laura (@2:20): may you find some comfort in the memories of your son

You get MAD points for slipping a Warrant Officer in there. Okay it's Navy and not Army but still they are oft forgotten. Thanks for remember the "other" officers!*if this is a repost I'm sorry my computer went wacky

I have a photo of Marines (including my great-uncle) celebrating the USMC birthday in Cavite, Philippines, during the Spanish American war. They are siitting solemnly around a table on which sits a very strange-looking cake in the shape of a destroyer of the era (think Monitor and Merrimac).

Well, when my dad was in it the first time, for WWII, the song was "Nothing can stop the Army Air Corps"... but the second time (he got called up from the reserves for Korea) it was the "US Air Force." Love you and miss you, Dad.

Thank you so much for including the Coast Guard. My baby brother serves on the USCG Cutter Katherine Walker in Bayonne, NJ, proudly patrolling the Hudson River. So many times the Coast Guard is overlooked during times of military appreciation, so it means so much to me that you included them. Thank you!

First time commenting, but I had to say something. Thank you for doing something so touching. I have no family or friends currently serving, but I still try to honor those working so hard and risking their lives. Brought tears to my eyes, this post did.

The Coast Guard cake made me cry a little over here. I know that cake. It's a 1st birthday cake for my friends nephew. His dad was killed in the Coast Guard helicopter crash in Hawaii on September 5, 2008. Ty was only a couple months old when his dad died in service for our country. Thank you for putting it up. :)

Tearing up here too. My Dad joined the Army at the grand old age of 14 in 1944 and served proudly in both the Army and, later, the Air Force until 1969. He passed away on Feb 22, 2009 but I know he would have loved these cakes and appreciated the thoughts behind them.

On a personal note, I, too, really hope the boat cake was not served on top of a real flag. Please tell me that was bunting of some sort....

THANK YOU for this post... I'm certain all the other cake decorators featured would agree with me in saying the honor was completely ours in making these confections. The gentleman for whom I made the Chief Warrant Officer hat is one of the most endearing men I have ever met and deserves all the praise for his service as do all of our military, police and fire personnel AND their families. It's not just the soldier who goes to war - our hearts and appreciation go out to those who have lost a loved one... thank you, Laura, for rearing a son who would be willing to give so much to all of us. My sister called to let me know one of my cakes ended up on your site... to be put on Sunday Sweets edition is truly an unexpected honor, but to have one of my cakes chosen for this post in particular? Well, I have been tearing up since.Kudoz to you, Jen and John, for honoring our troops.

Thank you for remembering the Coast Guard! (My husband is in that branch, and you'd be surprised how often people treat them as an afterthought or not as "real" military.) All the cakes were beautiful. :)

Thanks for the awesome tribute to all military members and their families!

Great cakes, but I, too, cringed at not only the cake displayed on top of a flag, but the iced and fondant flags on the cakes. According to the Flag Code, a flag is ANYTHING that looks like a flag, no matter the material. As such, it should not be "embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard." I'm sure the cake makers didn't mean any disrespect, but it would be nice if everyone was more informed.

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